First lady Michelle Obama will keynote an event Wednesday sponsored by the United Way aimed at calling attention to the problems facing veterans living in Los Angeles.

Unite for Veterans is bringing together city, state and federal officials, along with business and community leaders, to explore how greater assistance can be provided veterans after they end their military careers.

Obama is expected to speak to veterans’ need for a leg up in jobs and housing and provide an update on what the federal government is doing.

A statement from the White House said the summit at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza is designed to increase awareness of both public and private stakeholders on best practices that can be adopted in order to provide opportunities.

“Mrs. Obama will highlight the importance of aiding veterans as they transition into the next phase of their lives,” the statement said.

Eric Garcetti’s keynote speech will precede the first lady, with the mayor addressing the issues as they relate to the estimated 300,000 veterans living in L.A. County

Other speakers include Maria Elena Durazo, executive secretary-treasurer of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO; Elise Buik, president of United Way of Greater Los Angeles; Stephen Peck, president of U.S. Vets; and several other business and public officials.

Buik said a third of the county’s veterans are unemployed or underemployed, with 12 percent living in poverty. One in eight are homeless.

“Unfortunately, we think this is the most in the country, and what is really surprising is how young these veterans are and how quickly they fall into homelessness,” she said.

Requests for Obama to appear at the event came about through requests made to the White House by several United Way partners.

“She is very involved with veterans’ issues,” Buik said, “and the president has set a goal of ending veteran homelessness by 2015, so the stars kind of aligned to have her agree to speak out here.”

The issues are especially pronounced for post-Sept. 11 veterans. Most have only high school degrees and have been unable to find good-paying jobs. And many return home to a lack of affordable housing that offers alternatives to living on the streets.

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“Those are the things we will be addressing in the summit and hope to win commitments from business and labor to step forward,” Buik said. Labor, in particular, is expected to play a major role as faces an aging workforce and a wave of retirements.